Wake Forest outclasses Charlotte 49ers, extends winning streak
Wake Forest ran away from the Charlotte 49ers in the first half, then kept it going on the way to an 80-57 victory Tuesday in front of a crowd of 5,512 at Halton Arena.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Deacons (5-4), who got 17 points from guard Bryant Crawford. Junior guard Keyshawn Woods, who transferred to Wake Forest from Charlotte after his freshman season, scored 15 points in his return to Halton.
Charlotte (3-5) lost its third straight and got 14 points from point guard Jon Davis, the only 49ers player in double figures.
The biggest cheer for Charlotte came early when dunked in traffic for the 49ers first basket. That led to the 49ers taking an early – and brief 10-7 lead. Any boost from Davis’s dunk soon dissipated when the Deacons responded with a 15-7 run. Wake Forest later outscored the 49ers 14-0 during another stretch.
The 49ers have struggled with consistency all season, but their first-half performance against the Deacons was their flattest so far. The Deacons, who led 49-27 at halftime, ended up forcing 20 Charlotte turnovers and outrebounded the 49ers 39-34. The Deacons also had 13 steals and, in the first half particularly, routinely beat the 49ers to lose balls.
The most telling statistic, however, was Charlotte’s seven assists to go with the 20 turnovers.
Three who mattered
Woods, Wake Forest: Wake Forest’s junior guard, a Gastonia native who played high school ball at Northside Christian, made his return to Halton Arena count, scoring 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Woods, who volunteered to come off the bench for Wake Forest after the Deacons lost to Liberty in November, added two rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Bryant Crawford, Wake Forest: Deacons point guard was steady and efficient, scoring 17 points and handing out four assists.
Davis, Charlotte: 49ers’ point guard did score – 14 points – but he also was responsible for eight of Charlotte’s 20 turnovers.
Worth mentioning
▪ Tuesday was the fourth game in college basketball history that featured two opposing coaches who played against each other in the NBA all-star game. Wake Forest’s Danny Manning and Charlotte’s Mark Price faced each other in the 1993 and ’94 all-star games. The third came last season when the 49ers and Deacons played in Winston-Salem.
▪ The Deacons were 9-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half, then missed all 10 of their 3-pointers in the second half.
▪ Deacons forward Terrence Thompson originally went to Charlotte, redshirting as a freshman in 2013-14. He transferred to Georgia Highlands and then to Marshall, and is a graduate transfer at Wake Forest this season.
▪ Charlotte’s Hudson Price was coming off a career-high 24 points in a loss Saturday at James Madison.
▪ As they did last week when the 49ers played Davidson at Halton, a small group of Charlotte fans held up signs and chanted their displeasure with athletics director Judy Rose. A similar sign showed up during ESPN’s College Game Day show before Saturday’s ACC championship game in Charlotte. Some 49ers fans are unhappy with the direction of the athletics department under Rose, especially in football and men’s basketball. There were some signs of support for Rose on Tuesday, also.
Observations
▪ 49ers guard Luka Vasic, who has started three games this season, missed the game with an ankle injury.
▪ Tuesday’s game was the first time one of the ACC’s “Big Four” N.C. schools – Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest – played on Charlotte’s campus.
▪ The 49ers play again Sunday at Chattanooga. Wake Forest’s next game is Friday against Army at Joel Coliseum.
Quoting
“We didn’t talk about it. But as a former player, I know it meant a lot to him. Not just from it being his former school, but his hometown.” – Deacons coach Danny Manning on Woods’ return to Charlotte.
“This is not the Charlotte team we saw on tape. The ball just was not going in the hole for them.” – Manning.
“They played well, but a lot of it was us. We’ve got to find a way to get it going. We’re not playing good basketball now.” – Price.
“We’ve got to get our older group playing better. That’s baffling.” – Price.
“Even if it wasn’t on their side, I was on the opposite side. It was fun to be here.” – Woods, on his return to Halton.
David Scott: @davidscott14
WAKE FOREST 80, CHARLOTTE 57
Wake Forest | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Thompson | 8 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Moore | 14 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
Brown | 17 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Crawford | 25 | 6-7 | 2-3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
Wilbekin | 19 | 3-7 | 0-2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Woods | 26 | 5-10 | 3-4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
Childress | 23 | 3-8 | 3-5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
Sarr | 19 | 1-4 | 4-4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
Eggleston | 15 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Mitchell | 13 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Okeke | 8 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
Japhet-Mathias | 5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Spivey | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Anderson | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rike | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Bilas | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 29-58 | 13-23 | 37 | 17 | 27 | 80 |
Percentages: FG .500, FT .565. 3-Point Goals: 9-25, .360 (Crawford 3-4, Wilbekin 2-4, Woods 2-5, Brown 1-2, Sarr 1-3, Anderson 0-1, Eggleston 0-1, Rike 0-1, Childress 0-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 16 (21 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Brown, Moore). Turnovers: 16 (Woods 5, Brown 3, Okeke 3, Childress 2, Crawford 2, Sarr). Steals: 13 (Childress 3, Woods 3, Crawford 2, Sarr 2, Brown, Moore, Wilbekin). Technical Fouls: None.
Charlotte | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Haslem | 20 | 1-1 | 3-4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Ajukwa | 26 | 1-5 | 2-2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Davis | 27 | 4-8 | 5-5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 |
Price | 19 | 2-6 | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
White | 20 | 0-7 | 3-4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Murphy | 24 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
McGill | 19 | 1-5 | 4-4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
Garvin | 17 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
Supica | 15 | 1-2 | 2-5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Thomas | 13 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 15-47 | 22-31 | 32 | 7 | 17 | 57 |
Percentages: FG .319, FT .710. 3-Point Goals: 5-23, .217 (Murphy 3-7, Davis 1-3, McGill 1-4, Ajukwa 0-2, Price 0-3, White 0-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 20 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Haslem 2). Turnovers: 20 (Davis 8, Ajukwa 4, McGill 2, White 2, Garvin, Haslem, Murphy, Thomas). Steals: 7 (Price 2, White 2, Davis, Garvin, Murphy). Technical Fouls: Garvin, 12:18 second.
Wake Forest | 49 | 31 | — | 80 |
Charlotte | 27 | 30 | — | 57 |
A—5,512 (9,105).
This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Wake Forest outclasses Charlotte 49ers, extends winning streak."